The “stupid thing” Bob Dylan did to Andy Warhol
There has never been any musical artist more picked apart than Bob Dylan. When he started making groundbreaking protest songs like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’, fans were eager to pick up on every little nuance that fell out of his mouth, looking to get to some deeper meaning that might not have been there in the first place. Andy Warhol was going through a similar problem on the artistic side of the fence, but Dylan wasn’t as careful with Warhol’s work as people were with his.
Much like Dylan, Warhol had spent the 1960s immersed in the New York rock scene, each of them trying out different spaces within their work. As the British Invasion came across American shores, both men started to take the rock and roll scene to new heights. Dylan began making music just as pointed as his original material with a more forceful delivery behind it.
Warhol was the more abstract side of the coin, though. As Dylan was quickly becoming one of the enigmatic superstars in the world, Warhol’s approach to pop art began to dominate the art scene, including photos that would appear on album covers such as The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and Dylan’s own Blonde on Blonde. Being Dylan’s major double album statement, Warhol’s evocative photo of him slightly blurred spoke volumes, as if to tell the audience that they would never see the true Dylan behind the artificial side.
As the psychedelic movement started, Warhol also left his mark on art rock mainstays The Velvet Underground, producing their debut album and getting them involved with the German singer Nico. Warhol always remained close to Dylan, eventually working with him on the touring film Don’t Look Back, chronicling his work across the UK and playing his songs. While the documentary may have shown fans the songs, they also got an intimate portrait of what it’s like being one of the biggest stars in the world. Dylan may have had as much critical respect as anyone could have asked for, but there’s a sad demeanour behind those eyes that speak more than any lyric could.
Dylan was always appreciative of Warhol’s work and was initially gifted a painting of Elvis Presley from Warhol. As the years went by, Dylan lost track of some of his art pieces and ended up selling it in exchange for a couch. When mentioning it later, he felt ashamed for letting such a gift go to waste, telling Rolling Stone, “I always wanted to tell Andy what a stupid thing I done, and if he had another painting he would give me, I’d never do it again”.
By the time Dylan and Warhol had gotten to the ’80s, they had become larger-than-life figures. Despite having some of the greatest works of art under their belt, both remained active and did their best to diminish their celebrity. While Warhol had always been a private person outside of his work, Dylan would always follow his muse, getting in tune with Christianity and writing material that aligned with his beliefs on records like Slow Train Coming. Dylan and Warhol may have picked up different mediums of expression, but both were kindred spirits trying to express themselves with the world’s eyes and ears attuned to them.
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